President Yoweri Museveni has appointed Richard Byarugaba and Moses Sabiti as Senior Presidential Advisors on Exports and Industrial Development.
According to President Museveni’s directive, the two advisors are expected to support the exports secretariat in implementing Uganda’s export strategies — including building Uganda’s trade presence globally, improving export infrastructure financing, organising stronger trade data systems, and achieving targets set by the presidency for export growth.
The appointments, are intended to bolster the work of the exports secretariat within the Office of the President and help deliver better results for the country’s trade ambitions.
Richard Byarugaba is a highly respected Ugandan business executive, banker, and entrepreneur with decades of experience in finance, banking and investment management.
Byarugaba served as Managing Director and CEO of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Uganda’s largest Pension Fund from 2017 to 2022 during which he was credited with significant growth in the Fund’s assets and championed reforms that expanded pension coverage to millions of Ugandans.
Prior to his leadership at NSSF, he built a distinguished career in banking — starting in 1983 at Standard Chartered Bank Uganda and rising to senior roles, including executive positions in London and Uganda’s Nile Bank Limited and Barclays Bank Uganda. He also led Global Trust Bank Uganda.
Byarugaba has held governance positions such as Board Chair of the Uganda Securities Exchange and, since August 2025, Chairman of Old Mutual Investment Group Uganda, bringing strategic oversight to one of Uganda’s key investment groups.
Byarugaba was born in 1961 in the Western Region of Uganda. He attended Makerere University, Uganda’s oldest public institution of tertiary education, graduating with a degree in statistics and economics. He is a qualified accountant with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of the United Kingdom (UK)
He holds a BSc in Statistics and Economics from Makerere University, is a qualified chartered accountant, a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and has advanced training in management and investment analysis.
Moses Sabiti brings to his new advisory role deep experience in trade facilitation, regional integration and export logistics. Prior to this appointment, he served as Country Director for TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) — a major not-for-profit organisation focused on improving trade performance in the East African region — including Uganda and South Sudan.
With more than two decades of professional experience, Sabiti has worked on modernising customs and trade procedures, logistics, standards reforms, and regional trade facilitation initiatives, including overseeing TMEA operations in several East African nations.
Before joining TradeMark East Africa, he spent many years at the Uganda Revenue Authority, contributing to reforms that enhanced efficiency in customs and revenue processes — key components of a competitive export environment.
Sabiti holds multiple postgraduate qualifications including a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Public Administration and Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Management, along with specialised diplomas in international trade.
In addition to his professional roles, he is active as an entrepreneur and farmer and serves in leadership roles in advisory and coordination bodies that bridge public and private sector interests in export development.
